Low-flying planes stir up concern

Aircraft conducting research on Front Range air pollution

By Craig Young

Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
07/21/2014 06:03:50 PM MDT

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is flying its C-130 airplane over the Front Range to collect samples for an air-pollution study, and some residents are worried about the low-flying plane. (Courtesy of NSF/NCAR / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Click photo to enlarge

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is flying its C-130 airplane over the Front Range to collect samples for an air-pollution study, and some residents are worried about the low-flying plane.

Large, loud and low airplanes over Loveland have triggered a steady stream of calls to the local airport from people worried or annoyed by the unusual aerial activity.

"We probably get one or two every hour," Jason Licon, director of the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport, said about the phone calls. The volume of calls has been so great that he posted a link Monday on the airport's website to a news story explaining the low-level flyovers.

The two offending aircraft — four-engine military turboprops — belong to NASA and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and they're conducting research on air pollution along Colorado's Front Range.

The flights started Wednesday and will continue through Aug. 16.

The air-sample gathering also involves smaller airplanes flying at high altitude, plus vehicles and monitoring stations on the ground. But it's the low-flying C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orion that catch residents' attention.

"I think people are worried about it," Licon said, "because they're flying at lower altitude and because it's a bigger aircraft.

"There's been a couple of concerns whether the plane is having trouble and is going down," he said.

In reality, the planes are staying above the Federal Aviation Administration's minimum altitude of 1,000 feet over populated areas, he said.

Neither plane is using the Loveland airport, he said, but residents here naturally call the local airport when they see something unusual in the air, he said.

Later this week, an even larger, older four-engine warbird will be lumbering over Loveland. The world's last flightworthy B-29 bomber will pay a visit to the Fort Collins-Loveland Airport where it will be available for the public to view from Thursday to Sunday.

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story

Sufjan Stevens, "Carrie & Lowell" (Asthmatic Kitty) Plucked strings and pulsing keyboards dominate the distinctive arrangements on Sufjan Stevens' latest album, and in the absence of a rhythm section, they serve to keep time. Full Story